Dr. Yoshiya Toyoda Honored at Investiture
The speakers just kept coming at the investiture of Yoshiya Toyoda, MD, PhD, as the William Maul Measey Chair in Surgery in early December. One after another, some of the top leaders from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) came to the podium and praised Dr. Toyoda for his leadership qualities, clinical skills and commitment to excellence.
“So much exaggeration,” the ever-humble Dr. Toyoda said at the end of the evening to a ripple of laughter from the crowd. He went on to thank his family and Temple team members, commenting that his number one priority is providing the best patient care possible.
Dr. Toyoda arrived at Temple in 2011 when Temple University Hospital’s heart and lung transplant programs were at a crossroads. Both had been voluntarily paused and the hospital was considering its options. Into that situation stepped Dr. Toyoda, who brought with him extensive experience in both transplantation surgery and program administration.
“Dr. Toyoda came to us as one of the most prolific and sought-after transplant surgeons in the country,” said Arthur Feldman, MD, PhD, Executive Dean of LKSOM. “Since his arrival, our transplant program has undergone a Renaissance. Not only has it turned around, it has become one of the most active and highest performing in the nation. For that we have Dr. Toyoda to thank.”
Dr. Toyoda’s leadership was cited frequently by speakers.
“When Dr. Toyoda joined us he was more than just a professor or surgeon...we were really recruiting someone who could be a physician-leader, a program builder, someone who could elevate our entire institution,” said Larry Kaiser, MD, FACS, Senior Executive Vice President for Health Affairs for Temple University, Dean and Professor of Surgery at LKSOM, and President and CEO of Temple University Health System (TUHS).
“I work with Dr. Toyoda on a daily basis and I can tell you that I’m a big fan,” added Amy Goldberg, MD, Chair of Surgery at LKSOM and Surgeon-in-Chief for TUHS. “He has a passion for his work, and his surgical skills are inspiring and lifesaving.”
Also offering their praise were Verdi DiSesa, MD, MBA, Senior Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs at LKSOM and Chief Operating Officer of TUHS, and Gerard Criner, MD, Chair of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery. Both agreed that Dr. Toyoda “truly embodies Temple.”
In addition to being the William Maul Measey Chair in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dr. Toyoda is Professor of Surgery, Surgical Director of Heart and Lung Transplantation, Director of Mechanical Circulatory Support, and Co-Surgical Director of the Temple Heart & Vascular Institute.